Coral Reefs In Danger?

Because of the extreme heat of late, a lot of things have been in danger. But one that might see very horrible measures is coral reefs, home of millions of sea life. You can tell when reefs are in danger when they shed or bleach to white into survival mode. But this has only been the second worldwide bleaching of coral reefs, and the last time was in 1996, the hottest year in recordThey are early sign for climate changes, and so far they haven't been wrong yet. All of coral is made of up of tiny animals called polyps and have a special relationship with algae. They are important to our ecosystems and could be catastrophic if they end up dying. Whole populations of people rely on reef fish for food. Though most coral reefs can make a comeback if the temperature goes down, but if the climate rise continues, then there may be no going back.

I think this is so horrible! Look how global warming is effecting us. The only way we could help the coral is to slow global warming. I wonder if there's anything the scientists are doing. I think that corals are really pretty and helping the ecosystems a lot. Hopefully this will all be worked out some time.

1.) What happens to the coral in extreme heat?

2.)When was the last time coral started dying?

3.)What animals make up coral?

4.)Do you think coral has a chance?

Wlidlife: A Bevy of New Species Discovered in Papua New Guinea


http://ecocentric.blogs.time.com/2010/10/06/wildlife-a-bevy-of-new-species-discovered-in-papua-new-guinea/?xid=rsstopstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+time%2Ftopstories+%28TIME%3A+Top+Stories%29


Summary:


There has been a discovery of 200 new species of plants and animals in the forests of Papua New Guinea. They have found different versions of animals and plants, but they have also found new never before seen plants and animals. For the Conservalion International (CI) this just goes to show you that everything still hasn't been discovered on Earth. Yellow-spotted frog, Ceratorbrachid frog, Emerald-green katydid, and Sharp-legged katydid were some of the new discoveries that they found. The sharp-legged katydid has sharp legs on the top of its head and jabs all of its predators, as a deffense mechanism. Loggers and oil palm producers pose a threat on the wildlife here. If they do pose a threat the CI would like to save at least 25% of the plants and animals.

Opinion/Reflection:

I think that this is a really cool thing, I thought that they knew everything that was on this earth, but I guess you will always be able to find new species. That is a very cool way that the katydid can fight off its predators that way it won't get eaten. I also hope that the loggers and oil palm producers do not effect the forest, I'm sure that some of these areas have never seen humans before and it would be really bad if we messed up their habitat.

Questions:

1. Where did they find these new species?

2. Name two of the four species that were listed.

3. How does the sharp-legged katydid fight off its preadators?

4. What percent of the forest do they want to save?

The Worlds Bees are Disappearing?

http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/animals/news-doctor-says-bees-have-left-building%E2%80%A6-er%E2%80%A6-solar-system-0

Environmentalists all over the world are trying to figure out as to why the number of honeybees, our number one pollinator, is disappearing. This is not only happening in the United States, but also in England, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, and Japan.

Over the past twenty years, more than one million hives have mysteriously disappeared, and this number is still decreasing today. Although many might not worry for after all you would not get stung as often, this is a serious matter. According to Albert Einstein, without bees, the Earth would not last more than four years. Although the blue planet we call "home" will not completely parish, we would lose a very important insect, vital to the human food chain. Without them, there would be no flowers, nuts, fruits, etc.

Even worse, in less deveoped countries, which depend on natural polination would begin to lower in numbers, for there would be no bees to polinate the plants and continue "creating" more, therfore stopping the production of new fruits/vegetables, putting the countries at risk for starvation. Many people do not know how, and why they are disappearing, although there are a few with thoeries. Some scientists believe that they are living in unhealthy conditions, with lice/mites, and large amounts of heat. However, there are others who claim the radiation of cell phones mess with their "internal guiding systems" which ensure the bee gets back to the hive. There are studies in which a cell phone was placed near a hive, and bees that have left would not return, being unable to find their way back.

Response: I believe that this is horrible, for without them, there would be no vegetarians, no herbivores, etc. I am glad that scientists are conducting studies in order to learn the cause of their disappearance, so that we may be able to stop them, before we have to risk the extinction of one of natures most important animals.

Questions: 

1. By how much has the number of bees decreased?

2. Why may cellphones be the cause of their disappearance?

3. Why are bees so important?

4. How long would the Earth last without bees?

5. What would happen to the less developed countries?

The worst invasive species ever?

http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/offbeat-news/the-5-worst-invasive-species-in-the-world/463

Throughout the years, many different type on introduced species have impacted the world and native species in one way or another. These few species are thought to be some of the worst introduced species yet.

Feral pigs are considered to be a bad introduced species. Although they were introduced through farming, many escaped. These pigs would tear through large chunks of land in order to find food, which would in turn negatively impact plant species, for their roots would be damaged and the plant would die, which would also harm species that rely on the plants for nourishment. These pigs would also consume cropland, causing millions of dollars of damage every year. In specific places, they would eat the native species eggs, causing their numbers to decrease. A location of example is Santiago Island, where sea turtle numbers were drastically reduced because of the eggs being consumed by the pigs.

Zebra mussles are also thought to be one of the worst introduced species. The zebra mussel, which is native to western Asia, was introduced into Europe during the 1700's. They were then introduced into North America by a European ship that accidentally released them into the Great Lakes. They caused millions of dollars in damage by colonizing water intake pipes which would then become clogged. There is also competition for food between them, and the native species.

However, one of the worst introduced species is the European rabbit. These rabbits were introduced by choice, when a hunter names Thomas Austin released twenty-four of the animals in order to have variety in the animals he would shoot. While other farmers also released rabbits, it is thought that Austin was responsible for the infestation. This human impact caused a horrible infestation that not only caused agricultural damage, but also helped contribute by nurturing many other non-native species such as foxes, or feral cats, which further damaged Australia's ecosystem.

Response: I never knew the damage caused by these species! it is truly amazing that these animals were very close in causing the extinction of others. It also surprised me that people released one by choice! I cannot believe that people would stoop so low just to get a thrill.

QUESTIONS:

1. Who released the European Rabbit?

2. Why are Zebra Mussels a threat?

3. What happened on Santiago Island?

4. How many European rabbits were released?

Massive Fish Kill in Gulf Caused by "Dead Zone," Oil?

Summary
Thousands of fish died belly-up in a marsh in Louisiana. No one really knows what the main reason why the fish died and they don’t know if it was just everything conspirering against the fish because fish decompose so fast that it's hard to get a fresh enough sample. Kevin Kleinow, a LSU fish toxicologist, said"Very surprised if someone was able to definitely determine the cause of death" for these fish”. Some theories of the fish death is that the agricultural runoff that goes into the Mississippi River contains nutrients that help the growth of an algae bloom that is oxygen-hungry. As the algae oxygen level goes down, the fish will choke. Anouther reason of the death of the fish can be the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. This is causing a serge of oil-eating bacteria that take up oxygen. This expands the low oxygen dead zones. The last fish died at the time of the year when dead zones expands.
Opinion / Reflection
I was surprised about the death of all of the fish and that they will wash up on shore. One this will have a huge affect on an already messed-up ecosystem. Also this will make it harder to fish in areas where the fish are dying by the thousands.

Questions
1. How many fish died?

2. What is one way that could have had been the main reason the fish died?

3. why is it hard to get a fresh sample of a fish?


http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/09/100916-fish-kill-louisiana-gulf-oil-spill-dead-zone-science-environment/

Grizzles make a comeback. . . or not.

Grizzly Bears have been an endangered speices for a long time, since 1975 actually. The government has a protection programs all over the country for these elusive bears, and in places like Yellowstone National Park and and the Continental Divide region of Montana, it has been helping. But in the North Cascades, no one can decide whether to preserve these dangerous predators. Because their population tripled in the Rockies, they were even taken off the endangered list. But as of last year, they were put back on because of the dangers of the shifting climate of recently. Because these bears cannot thrive in the North Cascade, Washington, movements have been made to try and move them. but unforunatly, no one can raise the 1 million to 2 million dollars needed. There are even doubts as to if there are even any Grizzlies left in that area. People are conducting searches for these animals, and so far the tests have been that there are bears in the area but they have to wait for the DNA of them to tell if they are Grizzly or Black Bear. Most people think that because they're a predator and are liable to eat livestock and damage property that they shouldn't be saved or rescued. There are only six areas of designated land where the Grizzlies are supposed to make a comeback, yet there are people that think they should die out.

I think it's horrible the way these bears are treated. People are just doing this because bears do what they have to do to survive. I'm glad that some of these people are stepping up and thinking what this will do to the ecosystem and to the world in general if these bears die.

1)How long have Grizzly Bears been endangered?
2)What three places have the bears made a sucsessful comeback?
3)Do you think that people should try to help the Grizzlies make a comeback in the North Cascades?

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/17/science/earth/17grizzly.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

Shark Reseachers Study Oil Impact

http://articles.cnn.com/2010-06-28/us/oil.spill.sharks_1_shark-population-larger-sharks-tiger-sharks?_s=PM:US

Summary:

The oil spill has been effecting the sharks very dramatically. Reacher Niel Hammerschlag, who has been studing sharks for a decade now, is tagging sharks in the Gulf to see their migratory and behavioral patterns. Sharks are pretty much at the top of the food chain and they pretty much eat everything under them, if they never touch the oil something they might eat might of been hurt by the oil. This will make the sharks die because they won't be eating as much. The way that sharks breathe is they "take in the water, the water goes over their gills and they extract out the oxygen." So if the sharks are in the oil it will be extremely hard for them to breathe. In the Gulf there are spots where people are not allowed to fish, because we don't want the people to get sick. If we don't get this oil cleaned up soon who knows what will happen to all the sharks.

Opinion/Reflection:

I think that it is a horrible thing that happened in the Gulf. Also it is pretty cool to see how some people are taking things into their own hands, and making sure that we are doing everything that we can, to try and see if the sharks are being effected by the oil. Its very interesting to see that if one thing gets damaged in a food chain how the rest of it will be effected. I hope that we can have the oil cleaned up fast so the food chain will be able to go back to normal!

Questions:

1. What is the name of the guy who is tagging these sharks?

2. How long has he been studing sharks?

3. How do sharks breathe?

4. What do you think we can do to help these sharks?